Due to high oil prices and more environment awareness, fuel economy has become a very important topic each of us should have more knowledge on. The following tips can help you get the most out of each gallon of gas.
- Do not drive over the speed limit, probably the toughest one to follow.
- Accelerate slowly up to traffic speed. The pressure applied to the gas pedal should be light. The best way to picture this is to imagine there is an egg between your foot and the pedal.
- Be aware of the terrain. This means if you’re going down hill, try to coast. This means you don’t need to be applying as much gas to go down hill. From a mechanic’s point of view, you want to maintain as much engine vacuum as possible.
- Keep the car in tune
- Using your car manufacture’s recommendations, change your oil, transmissions fluid, radiator fluid, spark plugs, … regularly
- Ensure your emissions control system is working correctly
- Ensure air filter is replaced at appropriate intervals
- Keep windows closed as much as possible. Believe it or not, in most cases, it is more efficient to utilize your Air Conditioner over ruining your aerodynamics by rolling down your windows. Of course, the more that you’re in stand-still traffic, the more the A/C will cut into your fuel efficiency.
- Ensure your tires are at the proper pressure
- Ensure your car or truck is not carrying unnecessary junk. In other words, ensure your trunk or truck bed only contains what you need to carry around
- Unless you have a high performance car, you don’t need to use high octane gas. Please consult your Owner’s Manual to determine the minimum octane rating is for your vehicle/engine combination.
- Choose efficient times and routes to your destination. The more you stop due to long traffic lights or long traffic delays, the less fuel efficiency will be achieved.